Tonight's This Is Us episode was all about Randall, who is, hands down, the superior Pearson sibling. So, naturally, this episode was the best of the three centered around the trio. And by that, I mean it was gut-wrenching AF. Here's what happened (spoilers ahead):

We open this episode with Randall being the Best Dad Ever. He cracks iPad jokes, helps Déjà with her school project, praises Beyoncé randomly—I'm ready to give Sterling K. Brown the Emmy right now. I don't know which Emmy—just the Emmy.

But Déjà and Randall's moment is interrupted by Déjà's birth mother, Shauna, who shows up abruptly at the house and demands to see her daughter. She's out of jail—the charges against her were dropped—and now she wants Déjà back. Of course, she can't just walk out of Randall's house with her daughter: She has to go through the social worker first. Oddly, though, it's Déjà who has to tell her mother this, driving home the point that she's actually the adult in their relationship. Oof.

Linda, Déjà's social worker, tells Randall and Beth she's recommending to the courts that Shauna receive custody. Understandably, they're pissed, and they tell Linda they've hired a lawyer and will fight to keep Déjà in their house. It's a tense argument, but Beth looks bomb as hell, which is all that matters.

Because everything's connected on this damn show, Randall can't help but have flashbacks to his relationship with William, who Rebecca purposefully kept out of his life for years. It's clear he's starting to have second thoughts about fighting so hard to keep Déjà from her birth mother. This is all so heavy-handed, but Sterling K. Brown can act his way out of a paper bag, so I'm here for it.

We then watch a flashback of William actually finding the Pearson's house back in the day; he desperately wants to knock on the door and demand to be a part of Randall's life, but he doesn't. He tells Randall he didn't think it was right to knock and blatantly go against Rebecca's wishes. It's honestly hilarious how cyclical this friggin' family is. Like, in what world can you be like, "Wow, this exact situation happened to my father 25 years ago!" Ultimately, this causes Adult Randall to realize he and Beth can't keep Déjà from Shauna. Surprise, surprise!

Their goodbye is emotional. I'm bawling. Adult Randall is the greatest human on this show. Randall and Beth jointly decide to foster another child again—and it's implied a young boy is on their radar.

Cut to Teenage Randall: He's thumbing through Ivy League college applications. It's obvious Jack wants him to go somewhere fancy, like Harvard, but Randall appears to have an interest in Howard University, a historically Black college. (For context: We're revisiting the same frame of time as the last two episodes—the events leading up to Kevin's football injury.)

Randall and Jack arrive at Howard University for a tour. They meet Randall's friend, Keith, who takes him for a "real" tour of the school with his friends, leaving Jack behind. I don't know what the hell is about to happen, TBH. Randall is dumfounded at the fact there are no white people at the school.

In the car ride home, Randall explains to Jack that he feels out of place all the time. The implication here, I think, is that Randall doesn't feel this way at Howard. It's an awkward, emotional conversation, because Randall doesn't want Jack to think he's responsible for making him feel off-balanced. Jack seems to get it, though, but their moment is interrupted by the news of Kevin's injury.

Adult Kate, Adult Randall, and Adult Kevin's storylines have all lined up at this point, and we're picking things up now with Kevin arriving at Randall's house disheveled and strung out. Remember, we left things two episodes ago with Kevin about to tell Randall he's an addict, but Randall interrupts with the news concerning Kate's baby.

Randall immediately calls Kevin out for looking like "hell" and goes to call Kate. Kevin gulfs down a vodka-and-orange-juice—in the afternoon—hugs Randall's kids and leaves abruptly.

But he's not alone: Randall's daughter, Tess, secretly sneaks into the backseat of Kevin's car. He's driving drunk—speeding and swerving like a maniac—is pulled over by a cop, and gets arrested for a DUI. All with Tessa in the back seat. Oh my God.